"Continental Services Will Expand"
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ROAD transport links between Britain and the Continent will be considerably expanded soon, according to Mr. John Bustard, director and general manager of the Transport Ferry Service. He Said last week that in the first 12 months of pioneering, the weekly sailings in each direction between Tilbury and Antwerp had increased from two to three, but he looked forward to the day when there would be daily crossings.
Mr. Bustard was addressing a conference called by the company to discuss the latest developments in the cross-Channel service. The conference was (as reported in The Commercial Motor last week) attended by the company's British and European freight agents, Old British hauliers and forwarding agents.
Mr. Bustard said the "drive-on, driveoff" service offered by the company gave door-to-door facilities between Britain and the Continent, and was perhaps the only outstanding transport development since the war. The conference was the first of its kind, he added, and could claim a place in transport history,
MACHINE FOR CLIMBING STAIRS
EXPER1MENTS are being made by St. L., Cuthbert's Co-operative Association, Edinburgh, with a stair climber for use in conjunction with vehicles delivering crates of milk, sacks of coal or similar heavy goods, to upper floors.
Need for such a machine has arisen because of the lack of reliable labour. Men have had to be engaged more on the score of their physical strength than general suitability.
Encouraging results have been yielded by a petrol-engined unit, although a campressed-air-operated device is regarded as the ideal. The reservoir could be charged by a compressor mounted on the delivery vehicle.
GAS DELIVERY BY TANKER
BULK delivery of propane gas by tankers has been introduced by the industrial division of the Calor Gas concern from their Grangemouth 'depot. The normal method is to deliver the gas in cylinders, and initially the tankers will carry cylinders until the changeover to bulk transport can he completed.
Large users will have welded-steel storage tanks holding 1,500 lb. of propane, which will be metered from the vehicles. Such tanks will be made available to consumers using 3-5 tons of gas a year. and gas supplied in bulk will be cheaper than that delivered in cylinders. In addition, the customers will enjoy savings in time and effort.
MORRIS STRIKERS NEGOTIATE
I-3 A MASS meeting on Monday of 500 vehicle builders on strike at Morris Commercial Cars, Ltd.. Adderley Park, Birmingham. resulted in a decision to return to work to allow negotiations to proceed. The strike was in support of a claim for the payment of skilled rates instead of semi-skilled rates to men engaged on certain finishing-work. n7